Summer Shoes

In the age-old debate of heels vs. flats, I am most definitely a flats girl for everyday wear. Heels impart glamour and sassy attitude on the wearer; slip the right pair on and a woman suddenly feels taller, more powerful, alluring, as if she can conquer the world. But even when heels make you feel your most powerful, there's something anti-feminist about them too. They can reduce you to a hobbling mess if worn for too long. You find yourself strategizing how far you'll have to walk and when you can sit down and plan your social schedule around it.

I'm usually very good about putting my shoes back into their boxes after I wear them, but lately my ballet flats and flat sandals have been worn so much that I don't even bother anymore. They're dressy enough for long days at work that stretch into long evenings out on the town. After all, when summer finally arrives in Vancouver, I want to be the adventurous girl who's up for anything, not the girl who has to say no because it's too far to walk.

Which do you prefer to wear more, heels or flats? Does your preference change with the seasons?

24 comments

Interesting post! I'm 50/50 on this one. I love the look of heels, and they do have the magical ability to make us stand a little straighter. But flats are just more practical. That's why I am always seeking out comfortable heels (there are some out there!). + flats aren't always comfortable.

P.S. Men used to be much more privileged when it came to clothing selection compared to women, including heels. i don't think it's an anti-feminist thing. It's more socially acceptable for women to decorate themselves now. I consider it a limitation on men and their style options!

As I've recently learned, the wrong pair of flats can be just as damaging to your foot as a pair of heels. So, after a long affair with flats, I'm moving back to heels. I love the way a pair of heels instantly makes me feel more put together. If I could, I would wear them all the time... despite the fact they make me 6'3"!

Annching and Sandra, you've brought up very good points. Comfortable heels DO exist (I'm on the hunt for them all the time) and bad flats with shoddy construction and poor support are out there as well. I'm always on the lookout for comfortable cute shoes regardless of whether they're flats or heels, but I still prefer flats just because of the amount of walking I have to do on a day-to-day basis.

The Kelsi Dagger flats are ahhhmazing!!! I agree that flats are the way to go, especially in the hot summer months. Though I love that heels give the illusion of longer legs, I have to say that I'm more confident and comfortable in a flat show or a low wedge heel.

I am so envious of your collection of flats! Lately, I've been all about the flats, but I feel like my feet are getting weak from doing so! I wore my 5-inch-tall clogs the other day and got horrible blisters, and they used to be my most comfortable high shoes! LoL, I let my feet get too pampered by flats! :)

I love flats with a slight heel, though I'm finding wedge boots extremely comfortable. I can walk for hours and still look tall! Will probably keep buying this style, regardless of the trend ever fading!

I wear both heels and flat during the summer, spring and winter months. I adore dainty, pretty flats - they remind me of my ballet classes - flats encourage me to to dance. Heels make me feel sensuous, glamorous and sexy. Have a wonderful weekend;-)

Cute shoe collection! I have to say that I just cannot decide which side of the fence to be on. Flats are cute and practical, but there is just something imparted by a heel that flats will never be able to do. I think it really depends on what outfit you're wearing really. I do like to keep my feet "trained" for heels though.

I definitely prefer flats more, like you said, they're more comfortable than heels and yet are still dressy enough for going out. Unfortunately my feet do get tired from wearing them for too long though :(

In an ideal world, I would live in heels. Yes, 3" make me six feet tall, but I feel my sexiest and most in charge in them.

I try and avoid flats and heels, limiting them to one to two days full wear per week, since they both F*** up my feet.

I'm all about the Birkenstocks. Yes, they don't always look great, but they are the most comfortable things on earth, they do good things to my feet, and they look great with my more hippie inspired outfits.